It is boiling hot here in Santa Clara as I pack up my belongings and attempt to move out of my house. I am ready to be off and on my way to Bolivia, where I will not only be in a colder climate, but I will also be out of the ‘bubble’ at SCU. The SCU ‘bubble’ has trapped me recently. I feel like I have not left this area in several weeks, and I am ready for a change of scenery. I am already looking forward to that feeling of walking off the plane and breathing in the air of Cochabamba, where I will be spending the next seven weeks. While my program, Earth Regeneration, has not given me much info on the specifics of my work in Bolivia, I don’t feel too nervous about the work to come. I am ready to tackle the challenges and all of the highs and lows that this summer will throw my way. The lifestyle I have lived up to this point has prepared me for the unknown. In fact, I think I am constantly searching for the unknown every year or so because I like how it forces me to learn a bit more about myself and about the world. While it is difficult to be placed in new situations or places, the success of making it through the hard times feels good. I have lived in three different states and nine houses in the past 20 years of my life. This lifestyle has forced me to be open to change and the unknown, and now I cherish how beneficial it is to my personal growth. I think Bolivia will be another chance for me to broaden my knowledge on another worldview, and I am excited to learn, to change, and to reflect on everything that happens this summer. Regardless of how much this Global Fellows experience shapes me, I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to travel and live in an underdeveloped country where hopefully I can also help others in some way, big or small.
Campus and the neighborhood around SCU has emptied out, and I feel like there is not much else for me to do but to board my flight and prepare for my summer to come in Bolivia!
